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Webtopics > Making web pages with MS Word

Building Web Pages with Microsoft word

1. What are Web Pages

Web pages are actually a set of commands written in a computer language called HTML.  It is very tedious to write HTML, even the designers in the web industry use tools like Dreamweaver   to build their web pages. These tools come with lot of features and they are priced appropriately.  Fortunately, Microsoft Word comes with basic web design features and most of us have some experience working with this software.  Creating a web page using Word is as simple as creating a document.

2. Starting our project

Let us get on with our project. I want to build a set of pages that will help my students learn and explore the Indo-China region.  I am using Microsoft Word for Macintosh but the process is almost similar for Office XP or Office 2000. 

  1. Open a new word file and start typing:

Welcome to the Indo-China region. This region is composed of Vietnam , Lao and Cambodia .   Please click on each of the countries to see more.

•  Cambodia

•  Lao

•  Vietnam

3. Saving our File as a Webpage

It is always a good idea to save your files.  If you are using a Mac, go to the "File" option on top and select "Save as Web Page".

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On the PC, choose "Save as". This gives you a new box where you can select the "type" as webpage. 

Since this page is our main page, we will give it a name "index.htm". Generally, the first page is given the name "index.htm". After it is saved you can continue typing more text.  Close the file by selecting File from the top menu and choosing the "close" option. We have finished our first page.

4. Creating more pages

Let us create a few more pages and try to link them to our first page. 

  1. •  Open a new document in word. 
  2. •  Save this document as a webpage.
  3. •  Give this document a name (cambodia.htm). 
  4. •  Type in some text related to Cambodia . 

Create similar pages for Vietnam and Lao.  Close all the pages after you have finished with them.

5. Linking the main page to other pages

Now that we have the pages for all three countries, we will link them to our first page.

  1. Open the first page again (index.htm).  Move down to the section where we have the list of countries.  Highlight the word Cambodia . 
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  2. From the top menu, select Insert and chose Hyperlink. You will get a blank box that lets you enter a page name to link to.
  3. Next to the words "Link to", type in cambodia.htm. (or you can also browse to this file)
  4. Click on the OK button once you are done.
  5. Save the page.

You can preview the page by selecting "Web Page Preview" from the File menu on top.

6. Linking the page to a media file

Media files are audio or video files. You can link some text on the page to some mp3 file. Make sure that all the mp3 files or video files are in the same folder as the file you are currently working on.

  1. On your word file type the words "Click here to listen to the national anthem of Cambodia ".
  2. Highlight this sentence.
  3. From the top menu, select Insert -> Hyperlink. The Hyperlink box appears.
  4. Choose the mp3 file that you want linked to this text.
  5. After you have linked the mp3 file, save the file you are working on.

7. Linking to external files

Let us now try a different kind of linking. We will try linking our page to some other page on the web. 

  1. Open up the Cambodia page. 
  2. Type in a line that says " Cambodia is famous for the Angkor temples".  
  3. I spent some time searching for sites on the temples and I found a good resource at www.angkorwat.org.  Highlight the word Angkor .
  4. From the top menu again choose Insert -> Hyperlink.
  5. Next to the words "Link to:" type in the following- http://www.angkorwat.org .
  6. Click on "OK"

 

8. Combining the files in a zip package

Once you have created your web pages, you will realize that you have several pages. Many web hosting services and e-learning platforms like Blackboard support uploading of a zip file. So we can zip all our files together and send them (upload them) to a web site.

  1. Open the folder that contains all your files.
  2. You can select all the files by pressing the control (CTRL) and the "A" key together. On the Mac select the APPLE and A key.
  3. Once all the files are selected, right click on one of the file with your mouse. You will see an option to "zip" or "archive" all the files. Select this option.
  4. You may be asked for the name of the zip file. Provide a name.

9. Uploading the package to your Blackboard account

If you are in NP, you might have to upload the package to your Mel course.

  1. Log into Mel and go to your course. You should see the menu bar on the left.
  2. Select the Control Panel.
  3. Select the Course Documents (From the first Box titled "Content Areas")
  4. Click on "Add Item"
  6. Fill in the "Content Information" in the subsequent box.
  8. The next section "2. Content" is where you can upload the package file
  9. File to Attach: This is the zipped file.
    Name of the Link to File: Type in some thing like "Click to view"
    Special Action: This is important, as this is a zip file, select "Unpackage this File"
  10. Click on the submit button at the bottom of the page. The Blackboard server will not start unzipping your files. It might take a while if you have many files in your zip. After it has unzipped it will ask you for the entry point.
  12. The entry point is the start page. This is the page that your want your audience to see first. In this case the first thing I want my audience to see is the file called text.htm. I also selected "Launch in new window".
  13. Again select the submit button at the bottom of the page. We are done.